KU to honor DSC winners Commencement Weekend

Three alumni and a longtime faculty member are the 2004 winners of KU's most prestigious honor, the Distinguished Service Citation. They will be honored at the All-University Supper May 21 and march in Commencement May 23.

The four are Norton J. Greenberger, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts; Robert A. Long, b'57, Leawood; Jean F. Shepherd, d'68, l'77, Lawrence; and Fred N. Six, c'51, l'56, Lawrence.
The DSC was created in 1941 to honor individuals whose lives and careers have helped benefit humanity. It is the highest honor bestowed by the University and the Alumni Association; nominations are sought every summer; representatives from the Alumni and Endowment Associations and the Chancellor's office select the recipients.

Honored seven times by the University for his teaching, Norton Greenberger is a prized mentor to physicians nationwide. In 2001, his 30-year career at the KU School of Medicine culminated in concurrent honors: the Chancellor's Award for Distinguished Teaching and the Distinguished Teaching Award from the American College of Physicians. In 2002, he retired from KU as professor and senior associate dean of the medical school, but he continues to teach at Harvard Medical School and consult in gastroenterology. For many years, he led the annual walk down the Hill as a University Marshal.

When a task calls for insightful and impartial leadership, Kansas Citians turn to Bob Long, chairman of Dunn Industries. For his enduring service, the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce named him Kansas Citian of the Year, and he has received honors from the Boy Scouts, the National Conference of Christians and Jews, the Salvation Army, and Rockhurst University. For his devotion to KU, he already has received the Fred Ellsworth Medallion and an honorary alumnus award from the School of Nursing. In his community, he continues to guide Children's Mercy Hospital, the Kansas City Crime Commission, the Civic Council, Midwest Research Institute and the McGee Foundation.

As an English teacher in an urban high school, Jean Shepherd witnessed the struggles of teen-agers from troubled families. She soon realized these children needed advocates outside the classroom and the home, so she returned to KU for her law degree and embarked on a career dedicated to protecting the children of Kansas. As a Douglas County District judge, she has presided over the cases of juvenile offenders and children in foster care. Outside the courtroom, she has created new programs to benefit children, including the Foster Care Review Board and the Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program in Douglas County, Project Phoenix for gang intervention and prevention, and the Challenge Award for foster-care children graduating from high schools in Lawrence.

Although he chose the law as his career, Fred Six followed his abiding spirit of inquiry down numerous paths, always with the goal to serve others. For his alma mater and the Lawrence area, he has helped lead organizations dedicated to preserving and promoting local history, the arts, social welfare, mental health care and education. In every endeavor, his genuine warmth and classic wit endear him to fellow citizens. As a justice of the Kansas Supreme Court from 1988 to 2003, he won the trust and admiration of his colleagues and the people of Kansas. Honored twice by the Kansas Bar Association for his achievements, Justice Six also has been named a distinguished alumnus of the KU School of Law and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.